Indiscretion
by satomobile
Summary: Lin and Tenzin attempt to rekindle their friendship after the battle with Amon is won. They accidentally stoke some other fires in the process.
1. Chapter 1

"I hereby swear it," Kanut solemnly promised, one hand over his heart. The swearing in of Tarrlok's replacement was held on a Monday at City Hall. The ceremony was held inside, kept small due to the state of the building itself. The large expansive space was cramped with scaffolding and construction workers, attempting to fix the damage caused by the fight between the former Water Tribe Representative and Avatar Korra. The building had been caught in the middle of it all, baring the scars of conflict- a microcosm of the larger city.

Kanut was a political rival of Tarrlok's, finally getting the push he needed to win in the absence of a worthy opponent. He was fairly older and far less enigmatic, but none could argue in light of recent revelations that he was a better choice for councilman.

All the usual suspects were in attendance. The other council members, the civic paper pushers, several members of Kanut's family, and the Chief of Police.

Lin stood to the side, beneath the scaffolding observing the swearing in beside Tenzin. Between them existed a tension that seemed to lessen each day. It had been a long road to this point, but both could finally see some kind of reconciliation on the horizon. When the Justice stumbled over his words and said "civic doocy" instead of "civic duty" her eyes drifted sideways to find Tenzin looking back at her in shared humor. Like old times indeed.

As the Justice continued to read, yawns spread through the watching crowd. One person even leaned against the wooden pole which turned out to be the weak point in the scaffolding. In the blink of an eye the structure came clattering to the ground, bumping and scraping quite a few spectators on the way.

Tenzin's protective bubble only managed to encompass himself in time, missing Lin by an instant. A falling bit of debris made contact with her forehead, leaving behind a red gash. Her hand flew up to press against it.

"Is everyone okay?" Kanut asked, coming to aid any that might need it.

The dust settled and it became clear that most people were only minimally injured. The crowd milled about clutching heads and shoulders in moderate pain.

"Let's get a healer in to look everyone over, just incase," Kanut announced to the Justice and he made a swift departure for the telephone.

"I have something in my office for that," Tenzin told Lin in a low voice and she nodded and turned to make her way up the stairs.

He walked behind her gingerly, stepping past when they reached his door to hold it open and allow her entry. Lin walked forward, hand on her forehead applying pressure and looking stoic.

He closed to door behind him, drowning out the sound of the others entirely.

"Go ahead and have a seat, I will get the balm," he told her, moving toward the large cabinet at the far end of his office. He rifled around inside for only a moment before finding the small bag he kept containing gauze and various healing balms made from comfrey root and yarrow blossom. He retrieved the jar and made his way back to Lin, who opted to lean against his desk rather than actually sit.

He recognized this as a distancing move and he couldn't really blame her. They were working on their friendship, but nothing happens overnight.

One hand remained pressed firmly against her cut and the other reached out, snapping her fingers to demand the jar from him.

"I'll put it on," he insisted, holding the jar out of her reach as his other hand pulled reached up to remove hers from her forehead, revealing the red gash.

He stepped forward for a closer look and bumped her knees, tossing the gauze onto his desk behind her.

"I'm perfectly capable of smearing that on my own face, thank you," she argued, though her hand had been easily dominated and now rested in her lap.

"You can't see what you're doing," Tenzin explained without much thought, entirely focused on the cut, "it's actually not too bad..." he observed. He unscrewed the lid and gathered a dollop of the balm on his fingertips, finally meeting her eyes for a moment to give her a reassuring smile, "I don't have to tell you the next part," he joked.

"Let me guess, 'this is going to sting a little'?" she ventured knowingly.

"Ah, you've done this before," Tenzin mused sarcastically as his finger reached up to touch her forehead. This was nearly routine for them in the old days. In fact, the only reason Tenzin began storing various healing balms and powders was for when Lin would inevitably show up to their lunch dates with a newly acquired cut or bruise.

Her flinch was barely perceptible when the medicine made contact with her wound. Her eyes closed and she let out a measured breath, fluttering her lids open again after only a moment.

"That was the worst of it," he assured, only inches away.

He leaned over her slightly to reach the gauze he'd thrown on the desk behind her and she attempted to lean back with him as well, careful to keep from touching. But, she came up just a second sooner than he did and her shoulder ran right into his chest. Her hair tickled his cheek and when he took a breath he realized she was still using that shampoo he loved.

For a moment the world froze and Tenzin stood on the spot, suddenly closer to her than he had been in years. The sensation was intoxicating, but he pulled back slightly. Their eyes met and locked, making it clear to him that she felt the same small skip of a heartbeat when they touched. She swallowed hard and he could tell she wanted to look away, but couldn't bring herself to actually do it. They were locked in this moment, trapped in time together, reliving an extraordinarily intimate feeling on a very average day. He watched her mouth as though she might speak, but nothing came. His eyes flicked up to hers again, expecting a cool stare, but found instead her own gaze fixed on his lips.

There was some kind of magnet drawing him in, as if their reconciliation hinged on this moment in time and he leaned forward almost entirely against his will. His movement was against his better judgment, but his body insisted.

There was something melancholy in the way their lips first touched one another, as if the bodies attached were unwilling participants. His nose reached her first, grazing against her upper lip and tugging it ever so slightly as he found his place. It was a lazy kiss, their lips simply existing against each other without having sought such an arrangement. Tenzin breathed in, inhaling her familiar scent again and in that instant his self-control was completely diminished. All that mattered was here and now, the physical present, the tactile sensation of her lips against his. He pushed into her further and she pulled him in equal measure, lips parting just enough to allow his curious tongue entry.

His hands slid low to her hips to draw her in. He used one knee to move her legs apart, stepping between to press against her and her hips responded in kind. Their mouths remained together, nipping and caressing in a familiar way that had never felt quite so new before.

The small sounds they both made were needy and desperate, as if this must happen for the sake of both their souls. Their kiss deepened until they were both nearly out of breath, panting heavily against each other's mouths.

Instinctively, he pulled back, preparing to kiss his way down her neck, but the spell of desire was broken with their contact.

Their eyes met, shell-shocked by what had transpired.

Lin's hand flew to her mouth, covering it as if she were a child alarmed by saying a curse aloud for the first time. Something between guilt and unbelievable pain flashed in her eyes and she looked away quickly.

Tenzin shuddered, inhaling a breath that compressed in his lungs and sank into his stomach, coalescing into a heavy pit of culpability and nausea. He took a step back, extracting himself from between her legs and they snapped together quickly before she turned her body slightly away from him, closing off the opportunity for another misstep.

For a lingering moment they existed in silence, refusing to look at one another.

Lin brought up two fingers to pinch the bridge of her nose and groaned, "dammit, dammit, dammit."

"I'm sorry," Tenzin offered quickly and his words hitched on the dryness of his mouth.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Lin's plaintive voice demanded.

"I don't..."he began on the edge of a panic, "I don't know."

His hand rubbed the back of his head nervously, unsure of his next move. The instinct to run away was overwhelming.

Lin reached her hand up, running fingers through her hair quickly and groaning a little when she touched her cut. Tenzin saw this and nearly moved back to comfort her, but caught himself before stepping back inside her magnetic field.

"What are we doing?" he asked aloud, voice approaching hysteria, "What am I doing? What did I just do?"

Lin shook her head solemnly and caustic smile appeared on her face. She looked up at him and while she was not crying, there were tears in her eyes which she brushed away easily with the pad of her thumb.

"I need to leave," she observed. A laugh of self-loathing escaped her and she shook her head again, "we really can't be around each other...clearly."

While Tenzin's initial reaction was to counter her, it was obvious that in this case she was correct. Being friends was never in the cards for them. It stung.

Whatever had existed between them years ago remained, unable to be cured by meditation or marriage. It simply festered beneath the surface on the rare occasions of their interaction, waiting to reemerge and fell them both with the illness of their love.

It was a disease of sorts and Lin stood, backing away carefully to deter any further infection. She made her way to the door and turned back to him before pulling it open, "Councilman," she said, with a respectful bow of her head. But her voice hitched and her lip quivered when she said it, as if the formality of their situation might break her.

He bowed his head to her, eyes swimming because this was the only way. She disappeared from the room, closing the heavy door in her wake. It echoed in the cavernous office and he rounded his desk to take a seat.

The gauze for her cut remained across his desk. Beside it, a photograph of his beautiful and happy family. He stared into it until all he could see was his own reflection and a wave of sobbing overtook him.


	2. Alternate Ending

**Author's Note: After a few comments and my own perception that the original story was a bit of a tease, I decided to go ahead and write another version of this story- a "what if" or "choose your own ending" of sorts. Never mind that this would never happen in a billion years, but that is what fan fiction is for! So, get ready for Indiscredtion: The Smutty Version. **

* * *

"I hereby swear it," Kanut solemnly promised, one hand over his heart. The swearing in of Tarrlok's replacement was held on a Monday at City Hall. The ceremony was held inside, kept small due to the state of the building itself. The large expansive space was cramped with scaffolding and construction workers, attempting to fix the damage caused by the fight between the former Water Tribe Representative and Avatar Korra. The building had been caught in the middle of it all, baring the scars of conflict- a microcosm of the larger city.

Kanut was a political rival of Tarrlok's, finally getting the push he needed to win in the absence of a worthy opponent. He was fairly older and far less enigmatic, but none could argue in light of recent revelations that he was a better choice for councilman.

All the usual suspects were in attendance. The other council members, the civic paper pushers, several members of Kanut's family, and the Chief of Police.

Lin stood to the side, beneath the scaffolding observing the swearing in beside Tenzin. Between them existed a tension that seemed to lessen each day. It had been a long road to this point, but both could finally see some kind of reconciliation on the horizon. When the Justice stumbled over his words and said "civic doocy" instead of "civic duty" her eyes drifted sideways to find Tenzin looking back at her in shared humor. Like old times indeed.

As the Justice continued to read, yawns spread through the watching crowd. One person even leaned against the wooden pole which turned out to be the weak point in the scaffolding. In the blink of an eye the structure came clattering to the ground, bumping and scraping quite a few spectators on the way.

Tenzin's protective bubble only managed to encompass himself in time, missing Lin by an instant. A falling bit of debris made contact with her forehead, leaving behind a red gash. Her hand flew up to press against it.

"Is everyone okay?" Kanut asked, coming to aid any that might need it.

The dust settled and it became clear that most people were only minimally injured. The crowd milled about clutching heads and shoulders in moderate pain.

"Let's get a healer in to look everyone over, just incase," Kanut announced to the Justice and he made a swift departure for the telephone.

"I have something in my office for that," Tenzin told Lin in a low voice and she nodded and turned to make her way up the stairs.

He walked behind her gingerly, stepping past when they reached his door to hold it open and allow her entry. Lin walked forward, hand on her forehead applying pressure and looking stoic.

He closed the door behind him, drowning out the sound of the others entirely.

"Go ahead and have a seat, I will get the balm," he told her, moving toward the large cabinet at the far end of his office. He rifled around inside for only a moment before finding the small bag he kept containing gauze and various healing balms made from comfrey root and yarrow blossom. He retrieved the jar and made his way back to Lin, who opted to lean against his desk rather than actually sit.

He recognized this as a distancing move and he couldn't really blame her. They were working on their friendship, but nothing happens overnight.

One hand remained pressed firmly against her cut and the other reached out, snapping her fingers to demand the jar from him.

"I'll put it on," he insisted, holding the jar out of her reach as his other hand reached up to remove hers from her forehead, revealing the red gash.

He stepped forward for a closer look and bumped her knees, tossing the gauze onto his desk behind her.

"I'm perfectly capable of smearing that on my own face, thank you," she argued, though her hand had been easily dominated and now rested in her lap.

"You can't see what you're doing," Tenzin explained without much thought, entirely focused on the cut, "it's actually not too bad..." he observed. He unscrewed the lid and gathered a dollop of the balm on his fingertips, finally meeting her eyes for a moment to give her a reassuring smile, "I don't have to tell you the next part," he joked.

"Let me guess, 'this is going to sting a little'?" she ventured knowingly.

"Ah, you've done this before," Tenzin mused sarcastically as his finger reached up to touch her forehead. This was nearly routine for them in the old days. In fact, the only reason Tenzin began storing various healing balms and powders was for when Lin would inevitably show up to their lunch dates with a newly acquired cut or bruise.

Her flinch was barely perceptible when the medicine made contact with her wound. Her eyes closed and she let out a measured breath, fluttering her lids open again after only a moment.

"That was the worst of it," he assured, only inches away.

He leaned over her slightly to reach the gauze he'd thrown on the desk behind her and she attempted to lean back with him as well, careful to keep from touching. But, she came up just a second sooner than he did and her shoulder ran right into his chest. Her hair tickled his cheek and when he took a breath he realized she was still using that shampoo he loved.

For a moment the world froze and Tenzin stood on the spot, suddenly closer to her than he had been in years. The sensation was intoxicating, but he pulled back slightly. Their eyes met and locked, making it clear to him that she felt the same small skip of a heartbeat when they touched. She swallowed hard and he could tell she wanted to look away, but couldn't bring herself to actually do it. They were locked in this moment, trapped in time together, reliving an extraordinarily intimate feeling on a very average day. He watched her mouth as though she might speak, but nothing came. His eyes flicked up to hers again, expecting a cool stare, but found instead her own gaze fixed on his lips.

There was some kind of magnet drawing him in, as if their reconciliation hinged on this moment in time and he leaned forward almost entirely against his will. His movement was against his better judgment, but his body insisted.

There was something melancholy in the way their lips first touched one another, as if the bodies attached were unwilling participants. His nose reached her first, grazing against her upper lip and tugging it ever so slightly as he found his place. It was a lazy kiss, their lips simply existing against each other without having sought such an arrangement. Tenzin breathed in, inhaling her familiar scent again and in that instant his self-control was completely diminished. All that mattered was here and now, the physical present, the tactile sensation of her lips against his. He pushed into her further and she pulled him in equal measure, lips parting just enough to allow his curious tongue entry.

His hands slid low to her hips to draw her in. He used one knee to move her legs apart, stepping between to press against her and her hips responded in kind. Their mouths remained together, nipping and caressing in a familiar way that had never felt quite so new before.

The small sounds they both made were needy and desperate, as if this must happen for the sake of both their souls. Their kiss deepened until they were both nearly out of breath, panting heavily against each other's mouths.

Instinctively, he pulled back, preparing to kiss his way down her neck. Their foreheads rested against one another for a moment as they steadied heaving chests. Their eyes locked again and the decision was made, silent but solid.

_This was going to happen._

They breathed one another in, lips inches apart. Tenzin dipped his head to her neck and ran kisses along her jawline, tongue catching the taste of her skin as he went. There was the distinctive sound of her metal armor unlatching itself and it slid to the ground between them.

Now, she stood before him in undershirt and pants, exposing her arms and collar bone. Tenzin's hands wandered over her, feeling her skin beneath his palms. He ran one hand along the waistband of her pants, finger dipping just below for an instant, before changing course. He caught the hem of her undershirt between his fingers and dragged it upward, feeling the firmness of her stomach all the way.

He tugged the undershirt over her bindings, grazing one hard nipple beneath the cloth with his thumb as he went. She took in a sharp breath, reaching her own hands down to loosen his sash. She tugged it lightly, pulling him to her as she did.

Before he was able to remove her undershirt entirely he crashed against her, pinning her to the desk and moving his mouth to her collarbone again as she worked on removing his sash. It came undone, opening his robes to expose his bare chest.

Lin's hand pressed flat against him, urging the robes over his broad shoulders until they fell away. Tenzin gripped her tighter then, feeling his skin directly against hers for the first time in years. His own hands ran up the small of her back working her bindings and shirt off until they both stood, skin to skin with only the fabric of their pants between them.

She could feel his erection against her thigh and she rolled her hips into him once as they kissed. His first instinct was to lift her onto the desk and climb over her, but he resisted it and remained standing against her as his right hand ran along her side. It dipped beneath her waistband, sliding along the curve of her thigh before slipping her wet panties to the side and curling one finger against her.

Her muscles tightened at the sensation and his entire hand cupped her, moving up to hook a finger into her waist band and finally pull her pants down. She stepped out of them, shivering though the air around them was warm.

Tenzin's mouth moved away from her lips, his mouth exploring her body further and further down, running his tongue over her breasts before sliding low to her waist. He kissed her stomach, just above her panties and she let out a breathy laugh at the tickling of his facial hair. He smiled against her and dipped lower, kissing the the outside of her panties where the wetness caused it to cling.

Unable to resist the temptation of full contact, Lin's hand moved from his shoulders to her panties and she began removing them herself when Tenzin caught her wrist. They met eyes again and he ticked his head once, commanding her patience. She relented, giving him an anxious look that demanded his action.

He obliged, sliding his palms up her legs under either side of her panties, pulling them down so slowly that she had to laugh at his self-restraint. But, he had good reason for moving so slowly, in the back of his mind- for reasons he refused to acknowledge in the moment- he knew this might be the last time they encountered one another in this way.

Pushing the thought from his mind, he moved forward, pressing his mouth against her and sliding his tongue along her sex. His movements were slow and languid and while they frustrated her, she wasn't arguing. He swirled his tongue against her, building the tension until she breathlessly urged him back up.

Her legs shook slightly when he pulled away, following her instruction. He tried kissing his way back to her, but she impatiently slid her hand down his pants and gripped him, "Are you going to fuck me or what?" she growled just at his ear. She worked her hand up and down his erection as she awaited his answer.

"It's the only thing I've thought about in months," he replied honestly, before catching her mouth again, kissing her hard as if to prove his point. Her hands moved outward to pull his waistband, dragging her nails against him as she removed his pants and underwear. She placed her hands on the desk behind her and lifted herself onto it, just along the edge.

She eyed him up and down, smiling coyly. He moved forward, but she crossed her legs, playfully rebuffing him and her smile grew. He sighed at the way in which she taunted him and she licked her lips once before leaning back to clear the scrolls that lay across his desk. Her hand passed over the gauze that remained and she lifted it curiously, "Hm, I forgot all about this."

Lin tossed the roll to the floor and her eyes darted back to him, "Well?"

He caught onto her game and set his hand on her knee, moving her legs apart once again before reaching down to guide himself inside her. He let out a long, low breath upon entering, kissing along her jaw again, "I miss you," he confessed against her neck.

His words seemed to take all playfulness out of the situation and she rolled her neck in order to push him back to catch his eye, "say that again."

Her words were an honest whisper and he repeated his confession between kisses as she rolled her hips against him. His breaths came out in small grunts as he moved in and out of her. When he pulled back from their kiss, she clung to him, climbing his body. His hands slid beneath her, gripping her ass. Their bodies moved against each other insistently and she moaned into his shoulder, kissing and biting him with urgency when the speed of his hips increased.

After a minute he felt her muscles stiffen and she cried out, spasming in his hands before she finally slackened against him. He continued regardless, pushing in and out, with his face buried in the hollow of her neck which tasted salty with perspiration. Though her own climax had been achieved, Lin continued to move against him, tensing and releasing in a way that caused his knees to buckle slightly.

With his strength compromised, he lowered her back onto the desk and she propped herself up on her elbows. Though he desired to prolong their encounter, his body readily won the argument against his mind and he found it impossible to slow himself. He drove into her hard and quick- releasing finally as he watched her body undulate and grind against his own.

His body jerked forward one last time and his head dipped, kissing her collar bone again as he caught his breath. He laid his head against her heaving chest and they remained this way for a minute, appreciating the closeness and the sound of her racing heartbeat.

She moved first, pushing against his shoulders to urge him off. He withdrew from her and she sat up, sliding off the edge of his desk.

Lin crouched down immediately to gather her clothes from the floor. She stood, arms full of fabric with her back to Tenzin and he leaned in to plant a light kiss on her shoulder. She shrugged him off without turning around.

Tenzin watched her dress, confused by the sudden change in her affection. She pulled her pants back on, cinching the string at her waist and binding her breasts once again. Tenzin recovered his own pants as she pulled the undershirt over her head. He watched her back, wracking his brain for something to say as she straightened out the fabric.

He felt so close to her in that moment and her dismissive gestures wounded him to the core. Finally, he reached out to grip her bicep.

"Lin?" he asked softly, turning her around.

He was shocked to see a tear running down her cheek. Her eyes were red and she sniffled once, sobering herself.

He reached one hand up to her cheek, cradling the side of her face in his palm. His thumb reached out to brush the tear away and she still refused to look him in the eye. Her hand moved to cover his, lovingly. She leaned into his touch and brought his hand around to her mouth, kissing his open palm before curling his fingers into a fist. She pat his hand once affectionately and her watery eyes finally met his own.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, voice cracking.

"Sorry...?" he led softly, "what's wrong?"

She rolled her eyes and smiled caustically before reaching past him to grab something from his desk. She pushed it into his chest, letting go of him entirely. She stepped back and her armor clicked back into place.

"I'm a fucking idiot, that's what's wrong," Lin sighed, smoothing out her hair.

He searched her face, which twisted slightly in a futile attempt to remain passive. She reached up to indicate the cut on her forehead, "thanks for the balm," she managed to say before turning and disappearing into the hallway.

He watched the door for a full minute, stunned by this turn of events. When he finally went to move, he remembered the object she'd thrust into his hands. He pulled back the small wooden frame, holding it before his face to see the innocent, smiling faces of his wife and children staring back at him.


End file.
